Backyard Renovation

I am tired of how ugly it is. It is overgrown in some areas and weedy or splotchy in others. Its not attractive. There is almost no shade. We have zero comfortable places to sit. It is constantly being taken over by spiders. And there is no organization for Bronson’s playtime and outdoor toys.

I have put together a list of things I want to do to the yard. And I am trying to figure out how to layout the ideas into a sort of blueprint so that we can DIY some of it before we have money to invest in anyone professional.

Backyard Wishlist:

Garden landscaping

Covered seating area with comfortable outdoor furniture

Turn retaining wall area into a garden with a pebble walkway through the flowers & small stairway or bench seating in front

Build a treehouse/playhouse with slide on the retaining wall at the other end

To the left, I want a very small plunge pool, built into the ground – possibly pre-fab or tank

to the right, I want a hidden play area surrounded by hedging with tree stumps as jumping blocks or as a fairy garden table and seating for the kids

In the play area I also want some sort of hidden dig zone with sand or a brick-roadway for play cars

Side yard should have a place to house toys and park play vehicles out of the way

Finished product should look like this…

Main grassy area is reduced to around 35% of current grassy area with hedges and gardens surrounding it. To the left far corner, a small spa-sized pool built into the ground. In front of the pool, closer to the house, a covered seating area for relaxation with larger plants around the area to help shade. To the right, in back, the playhouse sits on top of the now lushous retaining wall garden, a slide coming from the top of the playhouse to the ground below off to the right. Just to the right of the slide, the hedge-way blocks a secret hidden play area for the kids, also attainable from the right side of the playhouse. To the right of the yard, around 4 feet of play area pebbled with plants with a stone walkway for the kids to explore and play around in. Just in front of the sliding door, a larger shade blocks the outdoor BBQ area with wooden bar / counter for cooking. In the side yard on the left, hidden toy-shed.

Reality…

I really don’t know if I can incorporate any of this stuff into my small space but I am going to try to get as much in there as possible. I’ve been obsessively pinning from pinterest, different ideas on how to make some of these ideas possible… See wall below.